Honoring Her Musical Achievements. Advancing Her Equality.

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In comparison to their male counterparts, women continue to be
marginalized in their sphere of influence in the
United States and around the world.  While women have made
significant gains, they still face notable disparities in earnings and
leadership positions. 

Women in the music industry continue to face inequality in pay, leadership opportunities, visibility, safety, and recognition despite their contributions to the field of music.

The Women's Empowerment Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c3) charitable organization designed to use further the

socio-economic status of women musicians. Musical works written by female

musicians are performed in orchestral concert settings and are designed to

revere the contributions of women in the music industry 

and advocate for women's equality.

By celebrating and showcasing the works of women musicians which include instrumentalists, composers, vocalists, conductors, arrangers, producers, faculty and engineers, we can elevate their status towards equality.

Our mission includes providing scholarships and developmental opportunities to aspiring and underserved female musicians to help foster their professional advancement in the field of music.

We are dedicated to working together to provide networks of support for both accomplished and aspiring female musicians. 

Women’s Empowerment Orchestra was born from my desire to support women musicians who continue to be marginalized in all areas of the music industry. My story began as a young girl who developed a love for music composition and singing, however faced many barriers to pursuing my dreams. Like many children, I was encouraged by well meaning parents to find a socially approved occupation i.e. “doctor, lawyer, engineer,” versus music as it was deemed as being too risky. I was also taught at a young age to be of service to the greater good of humanity, volunteering for various causes and charities; a value I have carried into my adult years and helped to inspire the creation of WEO as a non-profit organization. 

I held onto my dream of being a singer songwriter and branched out into exploring music as my career after graduating with a degree in social sciences. I found that gaining access to opportunities in the industry as a singer were of course possible but limited due to norms surrounding age and access to inner circles that both major and independent labels tend to be structured around. I found it even more challenging to find women in leadership positions in the industry. As I  began performing across the Los Angeles area and met with other women musicians who often reported similar challenges to accessing opportunities for themselves. I strongly feel WEO was born from a culmination of these conversations and shared experiences. The statistical research I discovered points to all long history of systemic barriers that women in music continue to face.

By celebrating the achievements of female musicians and creating networks of support, my vision is to establish Women’s Empowerment Orchestra as an example of an organization's ability to make a positive difference in advocating for our equality. Women musicians continue to face many systemic barriers including: hiring bias, fewer mentorship opportunities, limited access to prestigious conducting fellowships, fewer women in conductor, concertmaster, producer, songwriter roles, lower investment from record labels in female artists, less festival headlining opportunities, wage gaps, underrepresentation in executive leadership, bias in commercial radio programming, unequal access to high-revenue touring opportunities, amongst other cultural barriers that restrict access to already limited opportunities. WEO was created to build bridges of advancement for women musicians, to celebrate their contributions, provide support networks and scholarships, thus bridging the gap to be on par with their male counterparts. My vision is that decades from now these historical and systemic barriers have weakened significantly as awareness and activism mesh together. Any woman with the desire to succeed in music as her life's work, career and livelihood deserves to achieve her dreams.

WEO also exists as a larger personal mission for me as there are 3 things I strongly believe: Firstly, that peace on earth will require women having equal rights and opportunities. Secondly, women are natural leaders. Thirdly, music is a force for change. When I combine these 3 beliefs, I envision a world where peace on earth will be ushered in and championed by women using music as its sounding board.

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